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2010 Election Essay
You must vote Democrat this year. Here's why. You need to vote Democrat this cycle. Not because they have all the answers, not because they’re the greatest choice in the world, but because Republicans simply aren’t an option. You don’t need to agree with Democrats to vote for them. You don’t need to love Obama to keep his party in Congress. Democrats are far from flawless, and I certainly have a few issues I strongly disagree with the party on. But what you need are facts. The truth. And of course, a good long look at what Republicans offer. You might think this election cycle’s about creating a smaller government. About taxes and the deficit. About the economy. Well to an extent, it is. But before you cast a vote for some Republican blaming the country’s problems on Obama and promising to fix everything, consider Republicans’ own track record (and the reasons they were kicked out of office in 2006 and 2008). Government became much larger during the Bush administration. The surplus Bush inherited became a massive deficit. The economy tanked under the Bush administration – twice. The so-called Bush tax cuts were intended to be temporary in order to alleviate the first recession under his administration (why Republicans think making them permanent now is anyone’s guess considering the cuts sure didn’t stop the current recession from happening). Will Republicans and their Tea Party allies fix the problems they created? Not likely. For God’s sake, many of them flat out explicitly state they want to return to the policies that got us into this mess. So if their own track record proves they won’t fix these problems, then what’s fueling this fervor? “Obamacare” mostly. The problem? Republicans lied about WMDs in Iraq, and they’re doing it again with “Obamacare.” Republicans lie and say Obamacare includes death panels that will kill Grandma (literally, in many cases). It’s not true. Death panels won’t exist. Republicans lie and say Obamacare means you’ll go to jail if you don’t have insurance. It’s not true either. You’re still a free man without insurance. Republicans lie and say Obamacare will increase the deficit. First of all, they don’t give a damn about the deficit since they created it in the first place. Second of all, it’s not true. Non-partisan estimates show Obamacare decreases the deficit compared to existing policies (and Republican proposals). Further, an analysis has shown that Republicans’ prescription drug program of 2003 adds more to the deficit than the bailouts, stimulus, and Obamacare COMBINED. Then they lie and say Obamacare will ration your care. Well, not so fast. Insurance companies already ration care based on profits – and your income. As it stands now, if you aren’t rich enough you don’t get health care. If that’s not elitism, if that’s not rationing, if that’s not classism, then God only knows what is. Obamacare stops those practices. Sometimes Republicans will even lie and say Obamacare provides tax-payer funded health care to illegal immigrants. Again, not true. Obamacare provides care for legal residents only. So then they call it a government takeover of healthcare. No surprise, but that’s false too. Obamacare takes over nothing. There are regulations, and there will be a health exchange program to allow individuals and companies to purchase their own insurance at group rate costs. It’s not taking over anything. Besides, isn’t Medicare completely and 100% government-run? You don’t see many Republicans calling for ending Medicare. Thus, in their fervor to get rid of the evil liberal socialist conspiracy agenda, Republicans flat-out lie to scare you into voting for them. So let’s revisit: this election is about smaller government, taxes, the deficit, and the economy. So why vote Republican when repealing Obamacare (one of their major goals) would increase the deficit while insurance premiums and insurance CEO salaries rise? Sounds like Republicans actually do favor socialism – just of the rich corporate variety. So if Obamacare reduces the deficit and Republicans want to repeal it, where will they get these savings? What’s another major contributor to the budget? The military. Will Republicans and their Tea Party friends actually take on the military-industrial complex? Not likely. These are the people who lied about WMDs in Iraq. Lied about Iraq’s connections to 9/11 (it didn’t have any). Lied about the strength of Saddam’s military and his regime (both were weak). The more that UN inspectors and other observers concluded there was little to no evidence of any threat from Iraq, the more fervently the Republicans insisted we invade. So what happened? The US invaded an innocent country. UN inspectors weren’t allowed to finish their work. US “evidence” proved nothing, but the war went on anyway. The war killed roughly 100,000 Iraqi civilians. But you know, they’re Iraqis, not Americans, so it must be OK. Moral and family-values Republicans use human shields in the war on terrorism. They say “the stars and stripes don’t run.” Well, the stars and stripes ran to the other side of the planet on this one. The American death toll surpassed 9/11. More American soldiers have died in this war than there were victims of the 9/11 attacks. The deficit skyrocketed. We couldn’t afford this war. We still can’t. American influence plummeted. Apparently Republicans think the best way to win a war is to alienate your allies. To piss off your enemies even more. To stretch the military so thin on pointless missions that if there were a major attack, our own generals admit we wouldn’t be able to respond to it. Disagreeing with the war made you “unpatriotic.” Or anti-American. Or in league with the terrorists. It made you a lot of things, but you were always on the enemy’s side. If we’d really sent the troops out to protect our freedoms (which we didn’t), then what was with Republican rhetoric? What was with their curtailing of civil rights? So again, let’s revisit the major issues of this cycle. The war in Iraq exacerbated the deficit problem. At the same time Republicans supported reducing taxes. Maybe it’s just me, but it sounds like they were using fuzzy math. Reducing taxes and increasing spending will never get rid of the deficit. Not to mention the fact that everything we’ve spent in Iraq could have gone to other things which, oh I dunno, could have helped keep our economy on track. So if Republicans have suddenly become concerned about the economy and deficit, then how do they respond to Obama’s handling of our wars? They say he isn’t committed. In other words, they want the wars to drag on even longer and use up even more resources…all the while increasing the deficit and size of government. Sure makes sense…NOT. Well then. If Republicans would increase the deficit by repealing Obamacare, and they want to keep our wars going which would also increase the deficit, then their plans must call for something else right? Here’s where things get tricky. Republicans don’t really have a plan to fix our problems. Things change depending on the candidate. Or the day. Or the question. They’re very wishy-washy about specifics. Some Republicans bash the bailout. Ironically, Bush passed the bailout – not Obama. But whatever, tricky details involving reality and facts like that don’t matter so let’s move on. They’ll bash the bailout and decry such socialist government spending. They’ll bash the stimulus. They’ll bash the “government take-over” of the auto industry. They’ll bash financial reform. Well, it turns out the government will make a profit on the bailouts. Yep, the “liberal” media hasn’t made a huge deal out of it, but the money spent on the bailouts will not only be returned but also make a profit – reducing the deficit. Not only that, but it helped stabilize the financial system…which helped stabilize the economy...and well, you get the idea. There’s also this key difference: loans are not grants. Loans must be paid back. GM’s already paid back some money. As their company stabilizes and starts growing again, the government will sell off its stock – and many experts believe those will also return a profit. Which will reduce the deficit. And the bill helped stabilize a major sector of our economy. Which kept jobs from disappearing. Aaaaand…yeah. You get the idea. So the Obama administration’s policies have saved jobs. The economy’s grown for the past five quarters in a row. Private sector jobs are being created again. Over time the money spent to accomplish this will be recovered. Oh – and let’s be clear about something – Republicans are publicly accepting and taking credit for stimulus money in their districts at the same time they say the stimulus was a bad idea. But hey, at least they’re getting their photo shoots right? At any rate it all means these Republican campaign promises must be based on something else. And that brings us to the Tea Party, ultimately the driving force behind the Republican Party these days. And rather than go into detail – there are just so many details to include – I’ll just put together a short, condensed, summarized list. More and more Republicans openly talk about: *Eliminating the Department of Education *Repealing the direct election of Senators *Eliminating unemployment benefits *Repealing the Civil Rights Act *Repealing regulations of all kinds *Declaring that China wants to take over America and that some American cities are run under Muslim Sharia law *Eliminating the Environmental Protection Agency (because really, those pesky socialists in our government should stop preventing real Americans from dumping industrial waste into rivers and whatnot) *Reducing the size and power of government to what is explicitly spelled out word for word in the US Constitution Now I want you to take a look at that last item on the list. Sounds good in theory, doesn’t it? Unfortunately, Republicans and their Tea Party friends have little regard for the US Constitution. Instead they’ve merely turned it into a specially packaged sound byte for all the ignorant wannabe-patriots they pander to. Now, the Constitution does not permit warrantless wiretaps and surveillance of American citizens. So, I guess that’s out…except that nobody on the right is actually pursuing this change. The Constitution requires a fair trial for accused criminals and forbids cruel and unusual punishment. So I guess there go Guantanamo Bay, our torture chambers, and military tribunals. Well, not so fast. Republicans aren’t looking to get rid of any of those things either. The Constitution makes international treaties US law. Republicans don’t like this part very much either, but a 2/3 Senate vote is required to approve a treaty. Since neither party ever gets that much power in the Senate anymore, then maybe Republicans shouldn’t approve a treaty if they don’t want it to apply to the US. Just a thought. The 14th Amendment states anyone born in the US is a citizen of the US. Republicans don’t like this part because it makes illegal immigrants’ children legal residents of the US. So they want to repeal it…even though they claim to be “strict constructionists” and don’t believe in a “living, breathing Constitution.” Like it or not, it’s there. The 1st Amendment separates church and state. More and more Republicans – and especially those connected with the Tea Party – don’t believe in this. They claim the US was founded as a “Christian nation.” If that’s the case, the presence of this amendment doesn’t make sense. The people who came here to escape the Church of England wouldn’t agree. The non-Christian Founding Fathers wouldn’t agree. Not to mention “under God” in the Pledge of Allegiance and “One Nation Under God” on our money didn’t make it there until the 1950s – about 200 years after the country was founded. Sorry Republicans but again, like it or not it’s right there. Republicans – and Tea Party activists especially – claim they believe in a “strict constructionist” approach to the Constitution and government. What isn’t directly mentioned isn’t Constitutional. As you can see from the examples above, they don’t practice what they preach. They pick and choose what they like and dislike and then use it to promote or oppose certain policies. There’s also this other little problem with their ideas: the Supreme Court. It’s also in the Constitution. It has the final say on what is or is not Constitutional. Sorry Republicans, but if the Court ruled something’s Constitutional, it doesn’t suddenly violate the Constitution just because you’ve decided you don’t like it. Now this Constitutional discussion may sound off-topic, but remember Republicans use Constitution-based arguments extremely often. Obamacare, stimulus, bailouts, reforms – Republicans call them unconstitutional. If they don’t like Democratic ideas or policies they hold up the Constitution – even though Republican policies clearly and explicitly violate it while Democratic policies don’t. Of course if the Supreme Court disagrees with them, Republicans whine about “liberal judicial activists.” Blaming liberals for everything tends to be a common refrain for most of them, regardless of whether or not it’s actually warranted. And sadly, despite everything I’ve discussed so far, there’s so much more to talk about. The Tea Party, and many Republicans as well, are bigoted. Now let me say something right off the bat. I am opposed to illegal immigration. I am very annoyed when people say that is a racist attitude, so be aware when I say the Tea Party is racist I’m not just saying it to avoid an actual debate. Images of Obama in blackface. As a witch doctor. As a slaveowner whipping a white slave. These are common at Tea Party rallies. Spreading the myth Obama is not a citizen. That Obama is Muslim when he isn’t. That being a Muslim should even matter in the first place. Derogatory comments towards all groups different from themselves – from calling blacks niggers, gays fags, Muslims ragheads and terrorists – these are everywhere. Though some Republicans disown these incidents, no branch of the Tea Party does. Tea Partiers (Republicans in general less so) engage in violent acts toward those they oppose. Vandalism of Obamacare supporters’ homes. The “Progressive Killer.” A Rand Paul (Republican Senate candidate in Kentucky) campaign chairman stomping on a defenseless Democratic woman’s head, giving her a concussion – and then asking for an apology from the woman whose head he stomped. Calls for armed uprisings by Nevada Senate candidate Sharron Angle. Glenn Beck and other far-right conservative commentators inciting violence. The Tea Party claims it is mainstream and grassroots (even though it is literally funded by billionaires). However, how “mainstream” is the bigotry and violence noted above? They are extremists. They are not nice people. Many have a chance at being elected this cycle. And on that note, I come to the end of my discussion. This election cycle is perhaps more important than 2008. Or 2006. Or any other election in recent history. We are not simply changing course as we were in ’08. This election is more than that. The lies, the violence, the hatred…that is what Republicans stand for this year. You might think – oh, but Democrats do it too! Perhaps - but undeniably not to this extent. When was the last time Democrats acted with violence towards their opponents on a regular basis? Where’s the liberal equivalent to FOX? To Glenn Beck or Rush Limbaugh or Ann Coulter? Where are the Democratic equivalents to the Republican lies about Obamacare and the economic recovery bills? Obama and the Democrats are in power. The job losses have stopped, and the private sector is finally adding jobs again. The economy has grown five quarters in a row. Obamacare is actually quite moderate – and is absolutely nothing like what Republicans say it is. The economic recovery bills have been hailed as a success by the experts (you know, those people who spend their lives studying these things and know what they’re talking about). Science has a place in this administration. The environment isn’t merely a garbage can anymore. The war in Iraq is drawing to a close. The war in Afghanistan is finally getting the resources it should have received at its beginning. We talk to our allies instead of ignore them. The Obama administration doesn’t question its opponents’ patriotism, even though Republicans still do. Our administration is in the business of helping people instead of killing them. It’s in the business of helping the working and middle classes – not corporate CEOs and rich elites. But Republicans want you to throw all of that away and elect extremists because Obama didn’t clean up their mess fast enough. Don’t do it. Don’t vote Republican this year. Not this time. Maybe they’ll be a viable option in 2012 or beyond – but not now. Not now.